First boys were allowed in the Good Hustler clubhouse and now a second first for 2019 – a couple! Color me agile. When I travelled round Oz last year for Yoga Australia running business workshops for entrepreneurial yogis, I met a lot of really good people – no surprises there right? One of those people is Rane Bowen, who lit up the Melbourne workshop with his smile and his beaming heart.

Rane uttered the magic words that illicit love from any extrovert – ‘Do you want to be on our Podcast?’ After an instant HELLA YES from me, i’ve had the deep joy of getting to know Rane and his partner Jo and experience their good hustle first hand. I feel blessed to know them both. Not in a #blessed brushfont t-shirt or meme kinda way. Actually blessed as though I was plonked in their path for some personal enlightenment.

The take aways from these guys are that sometime the worst of times is necessary and will birth more than you ever thought possible. That yoga fuels embodiment and belonging in a way that is transformative for every body. That the only thing that holds us back is our mind, not the circumstances we find ourselves in. And most of all that a lightness of being is serious business, and one we should all apply ourselves to!

I’m on The Flow Artists Podcast on 31st March, have a listen to their back catalogue, there is plenty of warm wisdom in them thar episodes.

Rane and Jo’s Good Hustle

Jo discovered yoga while studying Visual Art at RMIT in 1998, and since then she has found that practicing meditation and yoga helps her enjoy living and creating to her full potential. Jo has been teaching since 2005 and is the founder of Garden of Yoga, where she teaches Antigravity Aerial Yoga, Pilates, Yin and Vinyasa classes to small groups. She is a level 3 Senior teacher with Yoga Australia and has completed over 2000 hours of training.

Rane went to his first yoga class in the late 90s but really committed to his practice many years later after being diagnosed with stomach cancer and eventually having his stomach removed. He completed his 350 hour yoga teacher training at Australian Yoga Academy in 2016. Rane has also worked as a Web Developer for many years and aims to make that an integral part of their business model.

Jo initially started teaching aerial yoga, yoga and pilates from their converted garage in Northcote, Melbourne in 2008. It was a small space with 3 aerial hammocks and just enough room for a pilates reformer. In early 2018 Jo and Rane demolished the garage and built a larger and beautiful space that has allowed them to expand their business. They now have room for 8 aerial yoga hammocks and even more mats. They also host workshops and trainings by visiting teachers with an emphasis on inclusive and accessible practices.

Rane and Jo also host The Flow Artists Podcast, which enables them to speak with some of their favourite and most influential teachers and thinkers from Australia and around the world. Learning from their guests who have included body image experts, psychologists, queer and trans activists has shaped their vision for the studio. They are passionate about teaching in a way that is welcoming and inclusive to everybody and sharing the message that Yoga is for every body!

Describe your business in one powerful sentence.

Garden of Yoga is a space of joy, inspiration and nurturing - we have a deep love and respect for the practice and philosophy of yoga and our goal is to teach in a way that makes everyone feel welcome, comfortable and supported.

How do you integrate service to others in your business model?

We want to help people feel better physically and emotionally. We see everyone who comes into our studio as an individual with unique needs - we try to integrate those needs and their goals into the classes that we teach. This can be subtle, like a focus on nurturing and self care, or specific, like working on an injury. Because we are a smaller space we can really personalise our classes and ensure that everyone feels welcome in our community. Through the podcast we celebrate the work of inspiring individuals and bring their insights to other yoga teachers and enthusiasts.

What were some of the highlights and lowlights of your journey to where you are now?

Rebuilding our new studio was a highlight, as has been meeting many new friends through the studio and the podcast. We have had periodic low times when feeling overwhelmed by our workload, and the seemingly endless hustle. There are financial ups and downs that can be unpredictable and stressful.

Rane's episode with stomach cancer was obviously a very challenging time, but we feel that we both have grown so much as a result, and it put us on the path we are on now.

Do you have a spiritual practice?

How do we fit this into a single paragraph? Spiritual is a tricky word for us. We feel that the practices of Yoga and Meditation are extremely powerful and can help us connect with a very powerful core of our being, but at the same time these practices are very simple and pragmatic. A "spiritual" practice shouldn't be separate from your every day life. We aim to live in a compassionate and mindful way, and often fail. Part of our practice is to not take ourselves too seriously. And we are very serious about that.

Advice for others who want to start their own good hustle?

Don't put undue pressure on yourself by making your good hustle your only source of income at the beginning. If you are turning your passion into your good hustle - you may have to find another hobby, just to give yourself some space and a non work related outlet. Really try to identify what it is that you are passionate about and why you are passionate about it - that's the message you want to convey! Don't expect it to happen overnight. That's the hustle!

If you want to be featured as a Good Hustler drop me a line and tell me about your business and you and why your hustle is geeeeeewwwwwwddddd. All people I evangelise for are completely independent of me and my business ventures unless specified. I just freakin love what they do. Give these links some lovin!